Selective reduction of Cu2+ with simultaneous degradation of tetracycline by the dual channels ion imprinted POPD-CoFe2O4 heterojunction photocatalyst

Abstract The dual channels ion imprinted POPD-CoFe 2 O 4 heterojunction photocatalyst (magnetic ion imprinted heterojunction photocatalyst) was synthesized by utilizing the microwave-assisted ion imprinting technique. The as-prepared photocatalyst can selectively reduce Cu 2+ owing to abundant Cu 2+ imprinted cavities existed in the imprinted layer and Cu 2+ was rapidly reduced by e − in POPD, the ions selectivity coefficient (k ions ) of Cu 2+ to other ions over magnetic ion imprinted heterojunction photocatalyst was 11.495 (k ions (Cu 2+ /Cd 2+ ) ), 4.716 (k ions (Cu 2+ /Fe 3+ ) ) and 15.910 (k ions (Cu 2+ /Zn 2+ ) ), respectively, and the materials selectivity coefficient (k materials ) of magnetic ion imprinted heterojunction photocatalyst relative to other materials was 4.998, 2.545, 10.474 and 4.918, respectively, both showed excellent selectivity. Furthermore, with the existence of mesoporous in the imprinted layer, tetracycline can easily contact with CoFe 2 O 4 and further be degraded by h + in CoFe 2 O 4 . Consequently, selective reduction of Cu 2+ and simultaneous degradation of tetracycline can be realized via the dual channels of imprinted cavity and mesoporous. More importantly, the heterojunction structure formed between CoFe 2 O 4 and POPD effectively separated e − and h + , which greatly promoted the photocatalytic activity of selective reduction of Cu 2+ and simultaneous degradation of tetracycline. With an enhanced stability for recyling, this work provided a high-efficient and economic technical approach for selective reduction of specific heavy metal ions and simultaneous degradation of organic contaminant in complex water environment.